Tag Archives: Marikina

The government is aiming for zero casualties as it maps out measures for disaster preparedness, according to the Department of the Interior and Local Government. It’s an ambitious goal for the DILG, but it’s good to aim for the ideal as the nation marks Disaster Preparedness Week.

Among the initiatives to be launched starting today, apart from regular flood drills, is a three-year program to remove informal dwellers along waterways, relocate them, and make sure they don’t return. The DILG counts 15,773 families squatting along six major waterways in Metro Manila. Apart from the Pasig River, the waterways include the Manggahan Floodway, where informal settlers were among the worst victims of torrential flooding at the height of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009.

According to a study released recently by the World Bank, natural disasters present a serious development challenge for East Asian and Pacific countries, with the poor often the most affected. Over 1.6 billion people have been affected by disasters in the Asia-Pacific since 2000, with the region accounting for 61 percent of global losses from disasters in the past 20 years and 40 percent of suffering from flooding in the past three decades.

The World Bank study pointed out that disaster risk has become a major issue in poverty alleviation, with natural disasters derailing long-term growth and diverting state resources from essential services and development projects. The study also noted that among the most vulnerable to disasters are rapidly growing cities in East Asia.

Economic losses from disasters have been increasing in recent years, with the figures 15 times higher in the 1990s than in the 1950s, according to the World Bank report. In 2011, the costliest on record, economic losses in the Asia-Pacific amounted to $259 billion in the first nine months alone, accounting for 80 percent of the global total. The most affected were Pacific island nations.

The Philippines, which also faces the Pacific, is no stranger to disasters, with scores of lives lost and billions in crops and property destroyed annually from typhoons, floods and earthquakes. The nation cannot afford not to give high priority to disaster preparedness.

Prof. Bobby Tuazon, Director for Policy Studies at think tank Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) on Wednesday said the May 13 midterm polls were unreliable, citing several aspects of non-compliance with election laws.

Tuazon also pointed out the earlier pattern observed by an Ateneo professor that constantly showed administration bets garnering 60 percent of votes while the opposition and the independent candidates received 30 and 10 percent, respectively.,

Nothing is more beneficial during a modern disaster than public participation. As the saying goes, “two minds are better than one.” When it comes to social media, millions of minds come together to solve problems, seek out answers, and disseminate vital information. As has been evident in recent days, the public has played a key role in both information dissemination and assistance to authorities via social media.

Social Media Aids Disaster Recovery Efforts

A primary source of real-time information, social media has had a transformative effect on modern disaster recovery. It has played a key role in everything from natural disasters to man-made tragedies worldwide. Bystanders and people miles away take to social media during disasters for multiple purposes, from alerting authorities to who and where the injured may be and locating important persons of interest.

Social media also affords the government a nearly unparalleled level of transparency in times of disaster. Real time updates – like those which we saw during the apprehension of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects – allow the public to not just be witness to but also assist in times of crisis.

Social Media and The Spread of Vital Information

Social media also drives information dissemination at a rate never known before – hotlines to find injured family members are found quickly and easily, and the process of seeking and finding of loved ones has become a crowd-sourced process. Important information can be shared with millions, and by millions, quickly and efficiently.

Social Media and Disaster Relief

Social Media is also useful in the days and months following a disaster. Raising money for victims is no easy feat when done offline. “Crowd-funding” allows users near and far with a simple and fast way to donate to and solicit donations for victims of disasters. As we saw recently in Boston, in many cases hundreds of thousands of dollars have been raised for disaster victims. Social media allowed for triumph in the midst of tragedy, helping victims start new lives with a tremendous support system.

Natural disasters like the tsunami in Japan and Hurricane Sandy reflect the public’s desire to participate and aid victims through social media. Many turn to social media outlets first to learn what is happening, see how they can contribute, and keep on top of developing events.

Social Media Offers A Worldwide Network

Social media is an incredibly useful means for public participation and government transparency. Never again will there be a time where television is our only source of news during times of need and disaster. From aiding the FBI to aiding victims of national disasters, Twitter, Facebook and other online media serve as vital components of transparency and efficient outlets for managing disaster responses.

Local Government Relations With People’s Organizations, Non governmental Organizations, and the Private Sector

ARTICLE 62. Role of People’s Organizations, Nongovernmental Organizations and the Private Sector. — LGUs shall promote the establishment and operation of people’s organizations, NGOs, and the private sector, to make them active partners in the pursuit of local autonomy. For this purpose, people’s organizations, NGOs, and the private sector shall be directly involved in the following plans, programs, projects, or activities of LGUs:

(a) Local special bodies;

(b) Delivery of basic services and facilities;

(c) Joint ventures and cooperative programs or undertakings;

(d) Financial and other forms of assistance;

(e) Preferential treatment for organizations and cooperatives of marginal fishermen;

(a) Local Development Councils — The duly designated representatives of accredited people’s organizations, NGOs, and the private sector operating in the provinces, cities, municipalities, or barangays shall sit as members in the provincial, city, municipal, or barangay development councils, as the case may be. The number of NGO representatives in each LDC shall not be less than one-fourth (1/4) of the total membership of the fully organized council. The local chief executive shall undertake the necessary information campaign to ensure participation of all NGOs operating within his territorial jurisdiction.

(b) Local Pre-qualification, Bids and Awards Committees — Two (2)representatives of people’s organizations or NGOs that are represented in the LDC concerned, to be chosen by the organizations themselves, and a practicing certified public accountant from the private sector, to be designated by the local chapter of the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountant, if any, shall sit as members of the provincial, city, and municipal pre-qualification, bids and awards committees (PBACs).

(c) Local Health Boards — A representative from NGOs or the private sector involved in health services in the province, city, and municipality shall sit as member of the provincial, city or municipal health boards, respectively.

(d) Local School Boards — The representatives of NGOs or the private sector who shall sit as members of the local school boards are as follows:

(1) Provincial school board — the duly elected president of the provincial federation of parents-teachers associations, the duly elected representative of teachers’ organizations in the province, and the duly elected representative of the non-academic personnel of public schools in the province;

(2) City school board — the duly elected president of the city federation of parents-teachers associations, the duly elected representative of teachers’ organizations in the city, and the duly elected representative of the non-academic personnel of public schools in the city;

(3) Municipal school board — the duly elected president of the municipal federation of parents-teachers associations, the duly elected representative of the teachers’ organizations in the municipality, and the duly elected representative of the non-academic personnel of the public schools in the municipality;

(e) Local Peace and Order Councils — The representatives of people’s organizations or NGOs in the local peace and order councils shall be the same as those provided under Presidential EO 309, series of 1988, as amended, and the implementing rules and regulations issued pursuant thereto (Annex B).

(f) People’s Law Enforcement Boards — The representatives of people’s organizations or NGOs who sit as members of the boards shall be the same as those provided under RA 6975, and the rules and regulations issued pursuant thereto.

ARTICLE 64. Procedures and Guidelines for Selection of Representatives of People’s Organizations, Nongovernmental Organizations, or the Private Sector in Local Special Bodies. —

(a) Call for application — Within thirty (30) days from the approval of these Rules and thereafter, within thirty (30) days from the organization of the newly elected sanggunian, each sanggunian concerned shall call all community-based people’s organizations or NGOs, including business and professional groups, and other similar aggrupations to apply with the LGU concerned for accreditation for membership in the local special bodies. The application shall include a duly approved board resolution of the people’s organizations, NGOs or the private sector concerned, certificate of registration, list of officers, accomplishments, and financial data of the organization;

(b) Accreditation — The sanggunian concerned shall accredit the organizations based on the following criteria:

(1) Registration with either the Securities and Exchange Commission, Cooperatives Development Authority, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Social Welfare and Development, or any recognized NGA that accredits people’s organizations, NGOs, or the private sector. If not formally registered, the said organizations may be recognized by the sanggunian for purposes only of meeting the minimum requirements for membership of such organizations in local special bodies;

(2) Organizational purpose and objectives include community organization and development, institution-building, local enterprise development, livelihood development, capability-building, and similar developmental objectives and considerations;

(3) Community-based with project development and implementation track record of at least one (1) year;

(4) Reliability as evidenced by the preparation of annual reports and conduct of annual meetings duly certified by the board secretary of the organization; and

(5) In the case of PBACs, the organization or any of its members shall have no conflict of interest in the awarding of infrastructure or other projects.

(c) Completion of the accreditation process — The sanggunian shall complete the accreditation process within sixty (60) days from the promulgation of these Rules or within the same period from the organization of the newly elected sanggunian.

(d) Meeting to choose representatives of people’s organizations, NGOs, or the private sector — Within fifteen (15) days after the accreditation process, the DILG field officer assigned in the LGU shall call all accredited people’s organizations, NGOs, or the private sector to a meeting where these organizations shall choose from among themselves which people’s organizations, NGOs or private sector will be represented in the local special bodies. The selected people’s organizations, NGOs or private sector shall then designate their principal and alternate representatives who are residents of the LGU concerned. In no case shall an organization or a representative thereof be a member of more than one local special body within a province, city, or municipality.

(e) Term of office of selected representatives — The term of office of a selected representative shall be coterminous with that of the local chief executive concerned. Should a vacancy arise, the selected people’s organizations, NGOs, or the private sector shall designate a replacement for the unexpired term.

Pirma na para sa FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (FOI) Now!

The law speaks already about Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and Development Acceleration Fund that all are declared unconstitutional. In these connections, this Statement;

To our executive branch of National Government;

We believed that being elected and appointed in our executive branch of the Government you know and the people knew that the law implementations are in your power and capacity.

People knew and you know, that you are duty bound to execute those laws, whoever are the subject of that implementations. And the laws should equally be applied to anyone who violates and we all knew that “ ignorance of the law excuses No one” no matter who you are in the society and no matter you are in the highest position in the government.

Therefore, all persons involved in PDAF anomaly should be penalized and implement what is indicated in the law. The same with the President of the Republic of the Philippines, no other than Benigno Aquino III and DBM Secretary Butch Abad and all the government officials and even those private individuals who commit or being involved in the said DAP anomaly should suffer and what the laws implies should be legally applied to them.

To our legislators

The Senate and House of Representative are empowered by law should act in accordance to your powers and duties and must not act as the defense lawyers of the executives involved in the illegal use of DAP.

Senators and congressmen, should and must be the representatives of the people not by the few and elite. Congressmen should represent the sentiments of the people in the issue of PDAF and DAP.

They were elected not to protect those government official involved in corruption. You must act and speak in behalf of the people who elected you to the position you are having today.

To the officials of Local Government Units (LGU);

The Provincial governors, and provincial board, municipality and City Mayors, Vice-mayors, members of the municipality and city councils should speak out loud in behalf of their constituents” rights and should lead the people to speak up their sentiments against those officials involved in DAP & PDAF anomalies.

To the people of Marikina;

Let us join our hands. Let us condemn and pressure this government of “Us” to prosecute those people who abused in the use of peoples” money. If necessary let our voice be heard in every corner of the streets. Let us all use those available legal avenues and make those corrupt be accountable on their illegal act against the peoples” money and interests